You’re in the meeting and you watch for the first time as different groups within an origination come together to form a unified team culture. It is exciting and a big relief. But this doesn’t happen nearly enough because groups have different goals, values and challenges. These differences can cause distrust and create an us vs them dynamic.
Difficulties Sharing Sensitive Information With A Team
“I really do value myself on being transparent. I think as a leader is the more transparent, honest and upfront we can be with our team's the more we build that kind of trust that allows for collaboration and autonomy.”
Today’s clip is with Brendon Simon, the Learning and Development Lead for Northern California.In this video Brendon shares about navigating sensitive information with his team.
Bringing Team Culture To The Community
Bringing Team Culture To The Community
The community that surrounds an organization will impact how the team performs, for better or worse. A team will be negatively impacted if it’s working within a community that is having issues.
This extra burden can leave leaders and teams feeling tired, frustrated, and even hopeless. But a team is not powerless when it comes to creating a positive impact within a community.
But how can a team create that type of change? In today’s clip, we have Scott Robinson who is the CEO of Freshfrom and is one of the founders of the Design Forward Alliance.
As a business consultant, I’ve worked with many leaders and teams helping them develop collaborative and productive team cultures.
I’ve had the pleasure to work with Scott in a variety of settings and I am always impressed with his constant desire to provide a better experience for his team.
In this clip, Scott talks about bringing his team culture to the greater community.
A Leadership Approach To Develop A Safe Team Culture
Leadership that develops a safe team culture.
Quiet and disengaged team members can create a lot of headaches for leaders and organizations. Having a staff that doesn’t feel safe speaking up kills the creativity, innovation, and productivity of a team.
As a leader, it can be hard to know how safe or not safe team members feel. Unsafe team members feel scarred to share because of the negative consequences that can happen to them. But through purposeful practices, leaders can shift their team culture to one that is safe, engaged, and open.
Developing a safe team culture can feel complicated and unclear. In today’s clip, we have Jessica Sweeney who is the Vice President of Product for FINEOS Corporation.
As a business consultant who helps develop a collaborative and productive team culture. I have worked with a variety of leaders. Jessica is a leader who is extremely thoughtful about her team’s wellbeing while also making sure they get stuff done.
In this clip, Jessica will speak to a holistic approach to help develop a safe team culture.
Three Things That Move Teams Through Complex Problems
Three ways leaders can support teams through complex problems.
Working as a team through a complex problem can be very challenging and even divisive. Team members can spend wasted time and energy spinning their wheels trying to figure out how to work together as effectively as possible.
Leaders often feel overwhelmed and uncertain by the ineffective teamwork that occurs with complex problems. Team members may feel disorganized, confused, and frustrated with one another.
But how do we get the team to work as one through a complex problem? In todays clips we have Fred Krawchuk, the CEO of Pathfinder Consulting Group.
As a business consultant who works to develop collaborative and productive team cultures I am always looking to learn and grow. I’ve read Fred’s work on Multistakeholder Collaboration and he has incredible wisdom around working with teams through tough challenges.
In this clip Fred will share three ways leaders can support a team to move through a complex problem.
Three Things Team Members Want In A Team Culture
Three things team members want in a team culture.
Unspoken, harmful rules can easily creep into a team culture. Leaders may not be aware they are there. Team members feel uncertain about what they can say, how they can say it, and the consequences for speaking up. Leaving team members shut down and disengaged.
But developing a culture is not as amorphous as people think. Leaders can make sure there is purposefulness in their team culture experience.
There are so many moving pieces to culture, so where do we begin? Today we have Eric Chagala who is the founding Principal for Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA).
As a business consultant who works to develop collaborative and productive team cultures, I know that Eric is the real deal. I’ve seen him in action, and he has an eye for innovation and provides incredible supportive energy.
In this clip, Eric will share with us three places where leaders can start developing team culture.
Eight Leadership Practices To Build A Strong Team Culture
Eight leadership practices to build a strong team culture.
A divided, siloed team culture is the enemy of productivity. Communication will be unclear, redundancies will happen, and fires that could have been prevented will blaze up.
As a leader, this can leave you feeling overwhelmed and maybe even distrust your team. This can also cause staff to feel unsafe and disconnected from other team members. But team cultures do not have to stay divided. Through purposefulness and consistency, teams can shift to become more collaborative and productive.
So how do we start to shift the culture? In today’s clip, we have Claude Jones, the Site Lead for Walmart Global Tech in Carlsbad.
As a business consultant who works to develop collaborative and productive team cultures, I have connected with many leaders. Watching what Claude has accomplished showed me that he is one of the greats.
In this clip, Claude shares with us his eight leadership practices to build a strong team culture.
A Team Culture That Productively Challenges One Another.
A team culture that productively challenges one another.
Fear can stop the greatest idea from being shared. I’ve seen so many team members who are fearful of the negative consequences of openly speaking their minds. Having a closed-off team can kill productivity and innovation.
Leaders are often putting out fires that could have been prevented in the first place if the team could openly share. Instead of putting out the fires, prevents them from happening in the first place.
But how do we create that space? Today I share a clip of the interview I had with Eric Burd who is the Chief Sales Officer at Welk Resorts.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Eric Burd in action. As a business consultant who works with leaders to develop team cultures, I know he is a fantastic example of who many leaders strive to be!
In this clip Eric speaks to creating a team culture of openness which has allowed some of his team meetings to go from an hour down to ten minutes.
Managing Big Emotions In A Team
Leaders managing big emotions within a team.
When emotions turn into frustration and anger towards other team members, as leaders, we can see how that creates divisions within a team. There becomes an “us vs them” mentality that slows down productivity and raises tensions within a team.
People want to shut down, work in silos and end up feeling unsafe because of the negative tension. But just because there are big emotions, doesn’t mean it has to create divisiveness.
Navigating a lot of emotions within a team can feel overwhelming and create uncertainty within a leader. Especially if there are things staff wants to know but leadership cannot share. But we can see it as an opportunity to create cohesion if we know how to manage it properly.
I was fortunate enough to interview my friend Brendan Simon who is the Artistic Director of Theatre First in Berkeley California and the Learning and Development Lead for Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre in Northern California.
As a business consultant who helps develop team cultures, I’ve gotten to work with Brendan and his people. His purposefulness and kindness for his team showed me he is a true leader.
In this clip, he shares with us what he did to bring together a team that was feeling a lot of negative emotions around a situation.
Bringing Together A Disconnected Team Culture
Leaders bringing together a disconnected team culture
Working in a remote world inherently creates distance between employees. We don’t get those micro-moments, those water cooler interactions that create bonds.
Without those little moments, staff can feel alone and even disempowered. But just because we are in a remote world does not mean your staff has to continue to feel this way.
It feels so foreign for leaders to create deeper connections online, especially when we are used to being in person. Today’s clip is from my interview with A’verria Martin who is the Director of Research Operations at Service Now.
As a business consultant who works to help develop team cultures, I know that A’verria is someone who truly cares and thinks deeply about how she can support who she works with.
In this clip, she shares with us what she did to help her staff feel connected to something bigger while creating closeness with one another.
Getting a Unified Vision With The Team
Leaders creating a unified team vision.
Team members with different visions can create scattered energy which can cause unnecessary work. Leaving leaders and staff feeling frustrated and uncertain.
Even though team members may have different vision around what a project should be, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
But what can a leader start doing to create unity for a vision? In today’s clip, we have Nick Casares who is the Head of Product at Polyient.
As a business consultant who helps develop collaborative and productive team cultures, I have worked with a variety of leaders. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nick on a few different occasions and I am always impressed by his humble and forward-moving leadership.
In this clip, Nick talks about what he did to help create a unified vision for his team.